looked away from the house, fighting to keep my composure as images of Syracen flashed through my mind, always folowed by my parents’ horrified faces as they died, of my little brother lifeless at my feet.
“Miss Rogan, are you alright?” Lieutenant Chaeron asked softly.
I nodded, throwing him a brittle smile. I liked Chaeron. A few years ago I had asked him to stop caling me my Lady like everyone else. He swapped it for Miss Rogan, and it felt a little easier to swalow.
I was about to speak, to reassure him, when the door to Wolfe’s home reopened and he appeared with a short woman at his side. He turned and kissed her hand and she smiled sadly, worriedly at him. Then she turned and waved at the Guard.
“Safe trip, good men!” She caled softly.
“Thank you, my Lady!” Some of the men caled back. She smiled prettily, stil very attractive for her age, not even a hint of a grey hair in her chestnut tresses. Her eyes traveled over our entourage and then finaly found me. Vikomtesa Stovia froze, her lips faling open, looking aghast. She turned to Wolfe and whispered something and he too stiffened, shaking his head and muttering to her. She nodded, seeming to gulp, and then looked back at me. I could have sworn the woman looked scared.
Seeming to shake herself, her blue eyes switched from me to Chaeron. “Lieutenant Chaeron, take care of my Wolfe won’t you?” Lieutenant Chaeron grinned as Wolfe roled his eyes at his mother before patting her hand and bouncing down the stone steps to mount his horse with an ease and agility that made me envious. “Of course, my Lady!” Chaeron caled back.
I looked away sharply, shaken by the Vikomtesa Stovia. Even more so by her reaction to me… as if I was the one to be feared, not them.
***
As soon as we were out of the city, Wolfe pushed us on at a fast pace. When we could we skirted around vilages, when we couldn’t we slowed so as not to cause suspicion. I hated those moments, having to wave to the vilagers like I was royalty, when in truth I was a farm girl just like many of the Sabithians. Once we were out of the vilage and onto the main trade roads, Wolfe picked the pace back up and we folowed suit. My body began to ache three hours in, my bottom numb in the saddle. I tried not to show my discomfort. We wouldn’t be stopping today as we had gotten a late start. We would be riding on until night fal.
Lieutenant Chaeron seemed to sense my ever growing discomfort and began to talk to me about his family. We shared stories of farm life, how similar the people in Vasterya seemed to those in Sabithia. But not once did I actualy ever mention my family, and Chaeron didn’t pry. Everyone knew my sad tale. Everyone knew I didn’t talk about my sad tale. Instead, the Lieutenant made me laugh as he spoke of his younger sister and her comical attempts to catch the man of her dreams in their vilage in the north west of Sabithia near the stone quarries.
“Donal is from coal mining country in the north east of Sabithia,” the Lieutenant grinned. “Quiet, reserved people. He moved to Laerth to live with cousins, start a new life in farming. He wasn’t prepared, I don’t think, for the overwhelming attentions of my sister.” I laughed as he described her outrageous tactics to get Donal.
“She succeeded though?” I asked laughing, not nearly as uncomfortable as I had been.
Lieutenant Chaeron snorted. “Kirsta had him wed in under two months. They’ve been married three years now, and have two children; more to come I suspect.” His was a warm sounding family, what I’d always imagined my own would have been like, had we been given the chance to grow with one another. I swalowed my numbed grief and encouraged him to tel me more about his own wife and children.
As night fel we crossed first the River Silvera, and a while later, the River Sabith, and as we passed through smal woods we saw lights twinkling in the distance between the trees. Coming out of the woods, I
“Miss Rogan, are you alright?” Lieutenant Chaeron asked softly.
I nodded, throwing him a brittle smile. I liked Chaeron. A few years ago I had asked him to stop caling me my Lady like everyone else. He swapped it for Miss Rogan, and it felt a little easier to swalow.
I was about to speak, to reassure him, when the door to Wolfe’s home reopened and he appeared with a short woman at his side. He turned and kissed her hand and she smiled sadly, worriedly at him. Then she turned and waved at the Guard.
“Safe trip, good men!” She caled softly.
“Thank you, my Lady!” Some of the men caled back. She smiled prettily, stil very attractive for her age, not even a hint of a grey hair in her chestnut tresses. Her eyes traveled over our entourage and then finaly found me. Vikomtesa Stovia froze, her lips faling open, looking aghast. She turned to Wolfe and whispered something and he too stiffened, shaking his head and muttering to her. She nodded, seeming to gulp, and then looked back at me. I could have sworn the woman looked scared.
Seeming to shake herself, her blue eyes switched from me to Chaeron. “Lieutenant Chaeron, take care of my Wolfe won’t you?” Lieutenant Chaeron grinned as Wolfe roled his eyes at his mother before patting her hand and bouncing down the stone steps to mount his horse with an ease and agility that made me envious. “Of course, my Lady!” Chaeron caled back.
I looked away sharply, shaken by the Vikomtesa Stovia. Even more so by her reaction to me… as if I was the one to be feared, not them.
***
As soon as we were out of the city, Wolfe pushed us on at a fast pace. When we could we skirted around vilages, when we couldn’t we slowed so as not to cause suspicion. I hated those moments, having to wave to the vilagers like I was royalty, when in truth I was a farm girl just like many of the Sabithians. Once we were out of the vilage and onto the main trade roads, Wolfe picked the pace back up and we folowed suit. My body began to ache three hours in, my bottom numb in the saddle. I tried not to show my discomfort. We wouldn’t be stopping today as we had gotten a late start. We would be riding on until night fal.
Lieutenant Chaeron seemed to sense my ever growing discomfort and began to talk to me about his family. We shared stories of farm life, how similar the people in Vasterya seemed to those in Sabithia. But not once did I actualy ever mention my family, and Chaeron didn’t pry. Everyone knew my sad tale. Everyone knew I didn’t talk about my sad tale. Instead, the Lieutenant made me laugh as he spoke of his younger sister and her comical attempts to catch the man of her dreams in their vilage in the north west of Sabithia near the stone quarries.
“Donal is from coal mining country in the north east of Sabithia,” the Lieutenant grinned. “Quiet, reserved people. He moved to Laerth to live with cousins, start a new life in farming. He wasn’t prepared, I don’t think, for the overwhelming attentions of my sister.” I laughed as he described her outrageous tactics to get Donal.
“She succeeded though?” I asked laughing, not nearly as uncomfortable as I had been.
Lieutenant Chaeron snorted. “Kirsta had him wed in under two months. They’ve been married three years now, and have two children; more to come I suspect.” His was a warm sounding family, what I’d always imagined my own would have been like, had we been given the chance to grow with one another. I swalowed my numbed grief and encouraged him to tel me more about his own wife and children.
As night fel we crossed first the River Silvera, and a while later, the River Sabith, and as we passed through smal woods we saw lights twinkling in the distance between the trees. Coming out of the woods, I
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